Mr. J. T. Priceasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many other retirement pensioners over 65 years of age there would be if, after 1st January, 1960, the age at which retirement pension may be drawn by wives on husbands' insurance, including dependent wives under 65 years of age, widows on husbands' insurance and women on own insurance were raised to 65 years of age; and what difference the abolition of the retirement condition would make to these figures.
§ Miss Pitt:It is not possible to make any precise estimate for 1960, but at 31st December, 1956, there were approximately 4,650,000 retirement pensioners in all, of whom some 650,000 were women under 65 drawing pensions either on their husbands' insurance or their own. In addition, there were some 80,000 dependent wives under age 60 for whom their husbands drew a wife's allowance. If pension age for women were raised to 65, about 200,000 of the women under 65 would continue to draw pensions as widows.
30WAt the same date, there were about 315,000 men between 65 and 70 with a provisional title to retirement pension but still working who together with their wives would qualify for pension if the retirement condition were abolished. The retirement condition does not operate for women after age 65.